In the production of articles such as oil filter cups or similar articles, several manufacturing operations are performed by different machines necessitating the use of conveyors between such machines. Frequently it is desirable to have a plurality of machines or operating stations operate "in parallel" with each other for performing a working step in the process of manufacturing an article such as an oil filter shell. For example, steel cups are drawn from suitable stock material by a drawing machine and are fed to other machines for subsequent working steps in forming the shells. The drawn cups may be moved over a main conveyor line leading from the drawing machine to one or more shell fabricating machines.
The present invention is directed to an air conveyor having a main conveyor line together with one or more spur conveyor sections to move articles from a source point to two or more fabricating stations located "in parallel" to each other.
The main air conveyor comprises a perforated deck plate having propulsion slots for issuing a plurality of air propulsion jets through the conveyor deck plate for moving articles along the conveyor. The propulsion jets have flow components extending longitudinally of the conveyor surface. The perforated deck may also include one or more rows of lift holes for issuing a plurality of air jets for lifting the conveyed articles off the conveying surface as they are being conveyed. The air conveyor is provided with a plenum chamber beneath the deck plate for delivering air under pressure through the perforated deck plate. The plenum chamber extends along the length of the conveyor supplying air through the entire length of the conveyor. The plenum is closed except for the deck perforations and a fan or blower furnishes air under pressure to the plenum chamber. The air conveyor may be of any configuration; i.e., straight line, curved or both according to a particular plant layout.
According to the present invention, there is provided one or more conveyor spur sections each of which acts as a passive divert for receiving and diverting articles moving along the main conveyor. Under normal operating conditions, the spur sections of the conveyor are first filled with the conveyed articles as conveyor operation begins. After the first spur section is filled, the articles continue along the main conveyor path and enter and fill the next empty spur section. When each spur is filled, then articles will flow along the main conveyor path between inlet and outlet points. If desired, the main conveyor may be endless for circulating articles not diverted to a spur section.
As articles are removed from a spur section, it will be replenished with the next available articles moving along the main conveyor.
Each spur conveyor sections intersects the main conveyor path at an acute angle in the general direction of article flow, so that the spur conveyor section acts as a passive divert making a "Y-shaped" intersection with the main conveyor.
The spur conveyor section includes a junction member placed in the main conveyor path, and having an inlet point and two outlet points: one to the main conveyor path and the other to the spur conveyor section. The junction member has a deflector wall projecting into the path of oncoming articles to deflect the articles to flow along the centerline of the spur conveyor section. Such deflection occurs repeatedly until the spur is filled. Subsequent articles will encounter the deflector plate, however, since the spur is filled, such articles merely carom off the last article in the spur and continue moving along the main conveyor path.
The spur junction member, like the main conveyor section, is an air conveyor having a perforated deck plate having a subjacent plenum chamber which communicates with the plenums serving the upstream and downstream main conveyor sections. It should be noted that the spur junction member has a perforated plate with a different configuration from that of the main conveyor, as more fully explained hereinbelow. The spur conveyor section in turn is an air conveyor having a perforated deck plate and a subjacent plenum.
The entrance to the spur conveyor section is fitted with a spur deflector member to deflect articles to move downstream along the main conveyor path as they leave the spur section.
It is an object of the present invention to provide an air conveyor having a plurality of spur conveyor sections for conveying articles from a source to two or more discharge points.
Another object of the invention is to provide a conveyor system having a main section and plural spur sections in which the spur section closest to the point of origin of conveyed articles functions to divert from the main conveyor path until filled whereupon subsequently flowing articles will flow to and through subsequent spur sections.
A further object of the present invention is to provide divert baffles at each spur junction to achieve smooth article flow through each junction to the spur section or to the main conveyor section.
Other and further objects of the invention will be apparent upon an understanding of the accompanying specification and claims and upon employment of the invention in practice.